Ranunculus and Tulip Bouquet

This is the season when the flower market is blessed with all sorts of bulb blossoms. For a bride in the mood for soft color palette with romantic flair, we made her a pastel bouquet in shades of cream,yellow, peach, and pink with ruffly ranunculus and parrot tulips.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to the gal for whom the red is too traditional, and pink is too common.  Fuchsia is a very popular shade in the red family right now.  Here is a bouquet of fuchsia roses with cymbidiums and amaranthus.

Wedding Inspired by 20s Glamour

Recently, I hear many brides inquiring about "Old Hollywood Glamour" and "1920's-inspired" designs.  Here is a retrospect of one of our wedding designs inspired by the 20's--shimmery metallic hues, rich embroidery, and feathers were incorporated into the table top design.    This was a bride who fully embraced colors--it's not often that we got to pair blue (as reflected in the linen choice) with red, and still add elements in black and silver. This event took place at the Berkeley City Club, a premier wedding venue at which we were a preferred vendor during our Bay Area years.

Classic White Wedding at Castle Green Pasadena

A classic white wedding at the historic Castle Green in Pasadena.

Blue Purple Bouquet

Winter is upon us, yet these imported hydrangeas in the shades of blue and wine-red purple are reminiscent of cool summer days.  As nature would have it, each stem of these hydrangea comes in slightly different hues.  We hand selected them to compose this striking bouquet.

White Mini Calla Bouquet

White mini calla lilies and stars of Bethlehem paired with yellow craspedia and burgundy monkey tails, finished with variegated foliage, to form this modern and whimsical bouquet.

DIY Centerpiece in Fall Colors

This is a simple DIY centerpiece that can be put together with items you may already have at home. We used some gala apples, tangerine mums, burgundy cymbidium orchids, and some ferns that were dried and spray painted into a rustic brown shade.

One special note about this arrangement is that fruits do emit ethylene gas, more commonly known as the ripening hormone, and consequently shorten the lives of cut flower (as it "ripens" them faster"). Therefore, the placement of the flowers should be done just prior to the event. Simply piled up the fruit of your choice, and adorn the pile with a few blossoms, and finish with foliage if desired.

This centerpiece in the fall spectrum of yellow, red, burgundy and brown can be a quick centerpiece for Thanksgiving gathering, when there's already plenty of culinary details to take care of. All that you will need is some fruits, a few blossoms (perhaps from your backyard), and a cake stand.

Happy Halloween!

Photo by Adorro Impressions Photography
Via: Style Me Pretty

A laced up mini pumpkin! What a fun smarting-looking idea!

Ikebana Inspired by the Shape of the Container

This ikebana arrangement is inspired by the specific shape of the chosen container. Shades of green in steel grass and antherium form clear contrast against the pristine white of the container. Blades of Steel grass were manipulated to form multiple triangular frames to echo the angular nature of the container.

Wedding Table Setting DIY

Left Image: Use multiple strips of contrasting fabric to tie up the silver wares Right Image: A simple twine + customized tag = "I didn't notice that those are plastic wares!" For a backyard or outdoor casual wedding, small details like these can really help to dress up the table setting. The right image and the downloadable flower tag can be found at Eat Drink Chic.

Wedding at the Castaway

This beautiful day started out with a traditional catholic ceremony at the St. Finbar Church followed by celebration at the Castaway in Burbank. Pickerill Creative captured all the moments and details of the day. The bride selected a mauve purple as her floral palette, which worked wonderfully with the purple bridesmaids' dresses. Additional photos were taken at the Caltech campus, home of two other georgous wedding venues--the Dabney Garden and the Athenaeum.

DIY Escort Card Display

I came across this clever escort card display from Elizabeth Anne Designs. The neutral green and yellow color combination utilizing wine crate, moss, with craspedias (also known as billy balls) is enhanced by an unexpected infusion of peach and light turquoise via the introduction of garden roses and glass. As we often suggest to our DIY brides, try tackling DIY on items you could make ahead of time. This is exactly that! The yellow craspedias are almost as amazing dry as when it's fresh--making this "fresh looking" arrangement a possible piece to make ahead of the big day.

Bridal Showcase Promo Code--Wedding Salon's Bridal Showcase at the London West Hollywood, 3/21/2011, 4-9pm

We are excited to share with our readers the promotion code to attend an exclusive bridal showcase hosted by the Wedding Salon at the posh London West Hollywood, a premier event and wedding venue, on March 21, 2011, 4-9pm. Please see details and promo code above.

2011 Winner of Brides' Choice Award from WeddingWire

We are excited to be the winner of the Brides' Choice Award for three years in a row now! This award is given by WeddingWire.com, one of the online leading bridal resources.

Autumn Wedding in the Wine Country

Catering: Wine Valley Catering
Cake: Sweetie Pies Bakery
DJ: AMS Wine Country AMS Wine Country
Flowers: Grandiflora
Hair & makeup: Amber Owen
Lighting: the Lux productions
Photography: Andre Niesing
Venue: Nicholson Ranch Winery

Mid Summer Wedding Celebration

Flowers: Grandiflora
Gown: Mariage Couture
Photography: Junshien Photography
Venue: The Gardens at Heather Farm
Wedding Planner: Simply Sparkling Events

Wedding Gown Alternatives

Wedding has increasingly become a more personalized experience throughout recent years. It is no longer "what we should do" as in accord to traditions, but "what we want to do to make it our very own journey". Many couples prefer to think out of the box, and brides are now more open to wearing gowns that are less than traditional.

High end retails or department stores such as Saks and Neiman Marcus always carry fantastic designer gowns in the evening wear section. I came across the following gowns while browsing Neiman Marcus' sales section online, and was amazed by the price tags.

Here are my favs, and all are made of silk or chiffon. Silk and chiffon are natural materials, and hence a green alternative to synthetics such as polyester, other wise know as satin. What more amazing then the fabrics used in these gowns are the price points, all under $300. It is almost impossible to find a wedding gown in natural fabric that is less $1500 or $2000 in a bridal salon.


This gown by Aidan Mattox combines a statement bib necklace with a Grecian-inspired silhouette. All that you need to add is perhaps a pair of simple earrings. $252. Image & Source: Neiman Marcus.


If "something blue" is what you must have, this is a gorgeous alternative to the bridal white. Don't you just love the ribbon details on the shoulder? This silk and chiffon Aidan Mattox gown is friendly priced at $264. Image & Source: Neiman Marcus.


Another one-shoulder silhouette that as become all the rage. I especially adore the pleating details around the bodice. Design by Xeniya and constructed in silk, this gown is priced at $210. Image & Source: Neiman Marcus.


Just the perfect short gown for a city hall ceremony or elopement. The origami-liked bow is a great departure from a typical bow as we know it, and provides just enough drama without going over the top. Constructed in silk and designed by Robert Rodriguez. $297. Image & Source: Neiman Marcus.